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Thursday, October 8, 2009

"The Hour" of Jesus

In the Gospel of John we see Jesus talking about a mysterious hour - my hour has not come - the hour is coming - etc. There are several senses hidden in "the hour" that Jesus speaks of. The first is the historical sense. Jesus speaks about an hour of persecution and death.

John 7:30 So they sought to arrest him; but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come.John 8:20 These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.

We see at the beginning of Passion week a change in His language. Jesus speaks about the arrival of that hour and it is pregnant with images of is death.John 12:23-27 ... "The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him. 27 ¶ "Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? `Father, save me from this hour'? No, for this purpose I have come to this hour.John 13:1 Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.John 16:32 The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, every man to his home, and will leave me alone; yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.Jesus also says that his disciples will suffer during this hour.John 16:21-22 When a woman is in travail she has sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she is delivered of the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

Jesus also speaks of an hour that each of the apostles will experience, where they will share in the sufferings of Christ.John 16:2 They will put you out of the synagogues; indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.

At the same time, Christ's hour is also associated with the Mass - which is a representation of the Sacrifice at Calvary.This is where Jesus' hour language gets mysterious and beautiful.John 2:3-4 When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." 4 And Jesus said to her, "O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come."- Jesus is saying here that there is an hour coming when he will be expected to provide wine, and he links this to the cross by talking about His hour.John 4:21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.John 4:23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him.- Jesus speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well here links a certain hour with worship - which is what we are doing at the Mass. It happens not just on the mountains in Judah and Samaria, but all over the world.John 5:25 ¶ "Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.- When do we hear the voice of the Son of God, but especially at Mass.

There is one final fulfillment of this Hour and that is at the end of time.John 5:28-29 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.

And this also fulfills more perfectly what Jesus says earlier when he tells the Samaritan woman:John 4:21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father….true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.- And we see Our Lady telling Him that they have no more wine…There is a great feast at the end of time and a great marriage spoken of where those who are chosen will marry Christ and receive the best wine then.